A couple of years ago and through our great friend, mentor and all round FANTASTIC person Sarah Newton, We came across FINK cards.
Fink cards help families have great conversations and to help children become confident communicators. Sarah has contributed to the pack designed for talking with children in their teenage years. Fink produces conversation cards for families, schools, and organisations.
Fink was founded by mum of four, Lisa Warner, who created a simple question card game to stop her children arguing at mealtimes! Fink has won awards and been featured on TV and radio and more importantly, thousands of people around the world have used Fink cards to create great conversations with the children with whom they live or work.
Something that Children for Health shares with Lisa is the belief that improving the quality of communication, whether at home, at school or at work, will improve relationships and improve the quality of life. In this wonderful research publication, Old Enough to Know (consulting children about sex and AIDS education in Africa), the researchers describe the importance of creating quality dialogue opportunities. Chapter 7 blew us away.
To develop the latest ‘pack’ the sex and relationships focused organisation, Fink has teamed up with Brook to create Sex & Relationships Matter Conversation Cards.
This pack is designed for families and those working with young people start empowering conversations about relationships and sex by providing 48 top questions. Using these cards offers an opportunity for young people to think about issues and hear different perspectives and views. The conversation allows them to contribute their own experience and opinions, and feel listened to.
The cards may not work in every context but we think that are a great idea and something that can be adapted by families and programmes everywhere. Once children get the hang of the idea they can even make their own cards. We would like to see a pack of questions made by children for their parents!
Our Director, Clare Hanbury has used the Fink cards with her children and says, “I like the way that having the cards makes the questions ‘neutral’. My children are much more likely to talk about the question when it does not come from an adult authority figure. It overcomes the awkwardness of introducing important but challenging topics. Once the children get going you can’t stop them talking!”
Children for Health is in conversation with Fink about creating a pack about food and nutrition that we can trial in a pilot programme in Mozambique.